Prime Minister John Howard today hailed United States President
George W Bush's emphatic second-term victory as a wonderful
personal achievement and a win for anti-terrorism.

Mr Howard phoned his friend and ally this morning to
congratulate him on his victory over Democrat challenger John
Kerry, just as Mr Bush did last month when Mr Howard defeated Labor
in the federal election.

The prime minister said Mr Bush's win was an endorsement of his
leadership in the war against terrorism and a signal to the world
to redouble its efforts to unite and combat the threat of
terrorism.

"This is a wonderful personal victory for a person who I like
and who I believe has given strong and resolute leadership to his
country and through the position he occupies to the anti-terrorist
cause and the cause of freedom around the world," Mr Howard
said.

The prime minister showed open admiration for the American
leader and appeared flattered Mr Bush had borrowed from his own
speeches to ask the American people who they trusted to run their
country and economy.

Opposition Leader Mark Latham gave a more cautious response to
Mr Bush's election win, congratulating him and saying Labor looked
forward to working with his administration.

He said he hoped Mr Bush had a successful second term by winning
the war against terror, catching Osama bin Laden, destroying
al-Qaeda and helping the fight against Jemaah Islamiah.

"There are two important issues, economic management and the war
on terror, and obviously the Labor Party hopes that the re-elected
administration is quite successful and fulfils all its commitments
to the American people and the global community," Mr Latham
said.

Outgoing Australian Democrats leader Andrew Bartlett said Mr
Bush's victory was more pain for left-of-centre parties while
Australian Greens senator Bob Brown said 95 per cent of the world's
population would be disappointed with the result.

"His assertion of military power as a right and his conflation
of wealth and morality cannot lead to a more peaceful planet," he
said.

US Ambassador to Australia Tom Schieffer predicted Mr Bush's win
would ensure Australia's relationship with the US would continue to
be close because Mr Bush and Mr Howard had an unique
relationship.

Mr Schieffer, who has been critical of Mr Latham, urged the
Labor leader to make a visit to Washington and acquaint himself
with the new Bush administration.

Mr Schieffer said Mr Latham and the United States would benefit
from getting to know each other better.

"I know that people would be happy to see him and it would give
him an opportunity, I think, to establish friendships so that
people would know him better than they do," he said.

Mr Latham said he would take Mr Schieffer's advice and travel to
the United States some time during the next parliamentary term.

Mr Howard said he spoke with Mr Bush for 10 minutes today,
congratulating him and chatting about the campaign.

The pair will next meet at the APEC meeting in Chile later this
month.
"He was naturally very happy, as any person would be in a similar
situation, I know the feeling," Mr Howard said.AAP